Drive-Bys

If I had one of each of these Jessica Kagan Cushman bracelets, I think I'd have all my dating bases covered -- and stylishly so.
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Parenting Done Right, Part I:

'I feel like if you’re going to embarrass me by stealing, I’m gonna show you what it’s like to be embarrassed.

'I work too hard for her to steal, and I’m not gonna have no thief living with me. I refuse to have a thief living with me.'

Right on, Ms. Walker!
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Quote of the Day:

"I think they should just call it what it is. Romance Novels for Twilight Fans. The end."

Scrumptious!
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Blogging, Facebook and Twitter are more than enough for me, but if you've caught the Pinterest bug, you might want to consider this:

When a Pinterest user euphemistically “pins” a “pin” on a “pinboard,” she’s really “copying” a “full-size photograph” to “Pinterest’s servers.” Needless to say, the bright spotlight of copyright law is harshly shining on Pinterest: even a cursory stroll through Pinterest’s various user pinboards reveals that the vast majority of pins are copyrighted works, not in the public domain, and not licensed under Creative Commons or a similar free-to-distribute regime.

If you're using Pinterest, I strongly urge you to read the whole post here.
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Parenting Done Right, Part II:

I have traveled with a 2-year-old dozens of times. It's not fun. However, if I was unable to control my child, I would absolutely expect to be booted off of the plane.

That's one of the problems with society. We expect everyone to make exceptions and to comply to our individual world. NO - there are rules, and there needs to be consideration for the other passengers. Get that tantrum throwing kid off my plane. Lackadaisical parents think everyone else should accommodate them and have more understanding. Call me cold and uncaring, but I've been there, and I work hard to make sure I don't impose my family on your world if you don't want them there, and I think others should too.

It all comes down to this: If you can't control your kid, avoid traveling until you think you have a handle on this whole parenting thing.

Rock on, Mom.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



Just try getting that one out of your head!
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Giggle of the Day:

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Drive-Bys

Cloud Gate (a/k/a "The Bean") + animated light show = Omnibabe needs to recharge the batteries for her camera and get her butt down to see Luminous Field before it closes!
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If you haven't already seen this viral video of a pissed off papa's response to his darling daughter's humdinger of a Facebook post dissing her parents, give it a gander:



Apparently some helpful folks figured that the local authorities ought to be called in.

The former Marine wrote on his Facebook page that Child Protective Services officials came to his home in Stanly Co. on Saturday and interviewed him and his daughter — separately — after viewers of the video called with concerns about his actions.
He said the police also stopped by.

And what happened next?  (Not what you think!)

“The police by the way said ‘Kudos, sir,’ ” Jordan wrote. "I actually had a "thank you" from an entire detectives squad. And another police officer is using it in a positive manner in his presentation for the school system.

Is he at all repentant?

In the Saturday Facebook post, Jordan said he does not regret making the video and stands by his decision to post it.

Here's my favorite bit:

Jordan's post also said if he had to do it again he would, "Not be smoking a cigarette ... not have used the word "ass" in my comment directed at my daughter ... would have worn my Silverbelly Stetson, not my Tilley hat if I'd known that image was going to follow me the rest of my life and I'd probably have cleaned my boots."

That's my kind of guy!
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Seeing this article about a woman who collected so many salt & pepper shaker sets that she had to open a museum to house them reminded me of The Princess Mom.

TPM loved to meander through junk resale shops, yard sales, rummage sales and flea markets in search of the perfect salt & pepper set for my sister and I for Christmas gifts -- on top of the dolls and other collectibles (anything with a cat (for me) or Cairn Terrier (for my sister) in it, on it or for it, whether it was to our taste or not) she was already buying for us.

After I got out of college I had no room to display this unwanted collection, but every year another set popped up in my stocking. 

Shortly after I got married I casually mentioned to TPM that I really didn't have any place to display the S&P collection, and that I would rather not receive them as gifts any more.

I completely forgot that the fastest way to get TPM to dig in her heels and do her best imitation of a mule was to tell her you didn't want something she wanted you to have.

Yes, I got another set for Christmas.  And the Christmas after that.

And the Christmas after that? 

I started re-gifting those S&P shakers right back to her.

It only took three more Christmases for her to finally give up the battle... and I still have most of the original collection.

Yes, I could sell them on ebay... but then I wouldn't have this goofy connection to her, now would I?

Intersections

For those who recently dropped me notes of sympathy, really the teeth in, teeth out routine isn't that bad.  What does suck about the whole thing?




So there.
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Oh, sure... Fabulous at 50! You have fewer colds, less sensitive teeth and are better at sex

I have less sensitive teeth... because I don't have real ones any more.  The rest, well... that's for me to know and you to find out.

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Valentine's Day is coming.  How to you define love?

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A survey has revealed than an astonishing 43 per cent of women carry around a pair of sexy pants in their handbags... just in case.

I find that astonishing.  In fact, I've put together a little survey of my own to see just how true that is.  Click here to take survey

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"Is my kid entitled?"  If you have to ask, the answer is more than likely YES.  This is one of the most sensible reads for parents that I've seen in a long time.

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I did know this -- "Cut flowers prefer a cool, humid environment and should be kept out of bright light and away from heating vents."

 

What I didn't know was this -- "Do not place cut flowers close to a bowl of fruit, because ethylene gas emitted by ripening fruit can damage the flowers. So can cigarette smoke."  

 

Good to know!

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I recently spent an evening in the company of a delightful soccer coach from Glasgow, Scotland.  Given that I couldn't understand over a third of what he said (though the accent was delightfully piquant), Siri has my sympathy and this article had me in hysterics.  

See?

Saturday Ramblings

Which GOP presidential candidate has Obama worried? It's not Mitt or Michelle or Tim or Ron:

US President Barack Obama's top reelection strategist charged Friday that Republican White House hopeful and Texas Governor Rick Perry had "very little to do" with his state's economic success.

And well he should be worried about Perry.

Presidential bearing? Check.

Executive experience? Check.

Military service? Check.

Self-made man? Check.

I like Perry's announcement speech because he ignored all the other GOP candidates and acted as though he's only running against one opponent -- the one that's currently in the White House. If he keeps that up, he'll really have my respect.

Update: Yep. Perry's entry into the race is alarming the Obama Dems. Any guy who has the far lefties up in arms is the right guy for me.
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What's at the root of the UK riots? Maybe parental attitudes like this:

‘But, I believe our human rights have been completely taken for granted. Daniel was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘As a mother, I’m not responsible for my son’s actions and they are penalising me for his actions.’

Marvelous job, Mum.
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I haven't seen a really good heist job comedy in a long time. I have hope, because this looks promising:


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What is just about the silliest question ever posed?

"Can brownies be too rich?"

Really?
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For Denny and Jimbo, who I could see doing this song:



Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha!!!

(A tip of the cap to GruntDoc for that little giggle.)

Quick Stops

Do you drop off donations at local drop boxes? Make sure it's going to a charity, not a for-profit organization:

Though the drop-off boxes may look similar at first glance, only some are operated by charities. Other boxes are placed by commercial companies that may — or may not — donate some money to charity. And some of the charities involved don't meet the baseline standards of the Better Business Bureau or the Chicago-based American Institute of Philanthropy.

During a day's drive around the Chicago area, the Tribune spotted about 10 types of boxes that ran the gamut from collecting the clothes almost entirely to benefit charity (Salvation Army) to collecting the clothes purely for profit (USAgain).

Some of these non-profits will even take... and use even the most motley of your donations:

By government estimates, Americans throw 85 percent of their unwanted textiles in the trash each year. That may be, in part, because of a widespread perception that charities want only those items that can be resold in their thrift shops. While these are the most valuable donations, other castoffs can still make millions for charities on the secondary materials market, which includes selling used clothes in developing countries and recycling them for industrial uses.

So the Salvation Army's Maj. Mark Anderson stresses that he doesn't mind when people donate ripped jeans, stained shirts and coats with broken zippers.

"We want to receive any and all articles because, if we can't sell it in one of our stores, then we can sell it to what they call the 'rag market,'" Anderson said. "They can repurpose those textiles for anything from wiping rags or materials for new textiles to even as an additive to asphalt. (That revenue) is a big deal for us."

One of the oldest trades in the world, textile recycling today represents a nearly $1 billion business, according to the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles association (SMART), an industry trade group. Eric Stubin, president and CEO of Trans-America Textile Recycling Inc. in the New York City area, said many businesses work closely with charities to recycle clothes that can't be sold in domestic thrift stores. According to Stubin, used textiles unfit for resale in the U.S. can fetch up to 35 cents a pound.

See? You can feel good about even your flimsiest, ripped up, worn out our torn cast-offs.
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25 manners every child should know by age 9? I've met adults who haven't learned half of them.
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After reading this article, it's a wonder that anything other plain filtered water is good for you.

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

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When is an apology not an apology?

"I admit the language was inappropriate, and apologize for any affront to anyone's delicate sensibilities," Lewin wrote.

You tell me.
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It might be a better idea to post where you've been, not where you're going, on Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook and Twitter users are increasing the risk of being burgled when they announce their holiday plans online, a study has warned.

Opportunist thieves are able to track down an address from a website posting within 60 seconds, research found.

Make sure you know what your kids are posting before you head off for summer vacation!
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You and I may not be invited to the Royal Wedding, but we can eat like the royals and their guests. Here's the recipe for the cake the groom ordered up and, since it's a no-bake, just about anyone can make it.
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Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPad are keeping very close track of where you've been.

Security researchers said they found a file hidden in the operating software of Apple's devices that can contain tens of thousands of records of a user's precise geographical location, each marked with a timestamp.

Those records create a highly detailed history of a user's whereabouts over months or even years.

The data are in an unprotected file embedded in the phone and tablet computer, the researchers said Wednesday, allowing hackers who pick up a lost iPhone or iPad access to the location history with relative ease.

The upside of this is that if you have the same information and your iPhone or iPad is stolen, you (and the police) can easily recover it.
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Signs of spectacular parenting?

“I don’t think my son’s guilty. He’s my womb child and I’m going to stand and pray for my seed.”

And...

Esther keeps a stash of documents in a folder on her living room table detailing her son’s run-ins with the law. These include the search warrants police used before searching Sonny’s apartment and car.

And...

“My son is saying he’s innocent,” she said. “The only thing he’s (guilty of) is whore-hopping.”

Charming mother, adorable son.
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Drive-Bys

My Magic Cheezburger and I have awesome predictive powers when I comes to Carol Mosley Braun's chances of landing her butt in the Mayor's chair here in the Windy City.

I'm giving her style points for her latest blooper:

At a debate on Sunday at Trinity United Church of Christ, Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins said Braun was returning to Chicago politics after having been “missing in action and lost somewhere” — and Braun responded by saying, “Patricia, the reason you didn’t know who I was for the last 20 years is because you were strung out on crack. I was not strung out on crack. I don’t have a record.”

Watkins, who has acknowledged using pot and coke as a teenager, says she’s been sober for 25 years and has demanded an apology.More comments from around the town on Braun's

“This says a lot about her character,” Watkins said.

Or lack thereof.

More comments from around the town on Mosely Braun and her big mouth:

• Approximately 20 percent of Chicago voters say they’re planning to vote for Braun. She’s still a huge long shot to upset Rahm Emanuel, but the fact that one of five of my fellow voting citizens believe she’s the best person for the job is more daunting than the Storm of the Century looming over us.
  
• The question, you said Jan. 14, is one of temperament. Thanks for displaying yours now, when voters see it implode.
  
• [T]here was nothing to be gained for Braun by responding with an attack on Van Pelt-Watkins, a minor candidate in all the polling so far. Braun's dwindling hopes depend on softening up and prying away Van Pelt-Watkins supporters, and are further eroded by antagonizing them.
  
• Is it too late to coin the terms "crackusation?"

P.S. -- I asked my Magic Cheezburger what were Mosley Braun's chances of beating out Emanuel and Chico in the mayoral race. Cheezburger sez, "SRY. I EATED IT." (I'll bet you the leaders of the black community that pushed so hard for her to be the "unity" candidate wish they had a Magic Cheezburger of their own and had consulted it a long time ago.)

Update: Ms. Mosley Braun offers up an apology to everyone but the one person she owes it to."

I want to apologize to her, to the congregations and members of Trinity United Church and of New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist church and all of the families and friends of those who are or who have been caught up in the tragedy of drug use. I meant no disrespect of the sanctuaries in which campaign tensions spilled over.

She gives the word "ungracious" a whole new face.
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One hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction of black women in Illinois politics is Toni Preckwinkle, on whom I am developing a tremendous girl crush:

“The proposed budget represents the first step of a restructuring of county finances for a long-term plan that will address the structural deficit and lay the groundwork for the rollback of the sales-tax increase,” Preckwinkle said. “We must break the habits that got us here. We must build a new foundation to stabilize our finances.”

You go, girl! (Can we clone her a couple of times and send one to Springfield and the other to the White House???)
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While this news is not good, it does not in the least take away from the fact that a toddler would not be dead if his mother hadn't left him alone to play in the hallway of a hotel while she fooled around with her boyfriend:

A switch used by a 2-year-old boy to open an elevator door before he fell down the shaft last week should have been locked up, Joliet’s chief building inspector said Monday.

David Mackley said the exposed switch in the Plaza Hotel elevator car was a code violation. He told a city council committee that the switch either should have been in a shielded case or the device should have required a key to operate.

This whole mess saddens and enrages me in equal parts.
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Cool Quotes of the Day:

• Roethlisberger is to role model what Snooki Polizzi is to classy.
  
• Sheriff’s Police are ruling out a phone malfunction for the disconnection.
  
• They’ve even narrowed down names for their twins. “They won’t be crazy names like Carburetor or something,” he says. “But they’re definitely unique.”
  
• What the hell is Whoopi wearing? It looks like a Snuggie.

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The last living WWI veteran, Frank Woodruff Buckles, turns 110 today. God bless him!
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In the middle of the biggest recession in a long time, Caterpillar's workers take this brilliant step:

Union members at Caterpillar Inc. facilities in Illinois and three other states have authorized the United Auto Workers to strike if necessary.

This is why it took my father-in-law 30 years to get fully vested in a 20 year pension/retirement benefit.
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I'm heading home. Wish me luck.

More later!
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Update: Strike that heading home thingie. I'm on the reception desk until 5:30 p.m. Yahoo.
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Anyone who thinks having the Muslim Brotherhood in charge in Egypt seriously needs to rearrange their thinking:

A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt told the Arabic-language Iranian news network Al-Alam on Monday that he would like to see the Egyptian people prepare for war against Israel, according to the Hebrew-language business newspaper Calcalist.

There's your religion of peace for you.

And, by the way...

If Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is toppled, Israel will lose one of its very few friends in a hostile neighborhood and President Barack Obama will bear a large share of the blame, Israeli pundits said on Monday.

This is unbelievably awful foreign policy on the part of the U.S.
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Drive-Bys

Add this to my ridiculous Xmas/birthday/whatever wish list. Luge and skeleton are among my favorite winter Olympic sports, so this little doohickey has a lot of appeal.

Besides -- it's recommended ages 5 & up. (I qualify, I think.)

Given that it doesn't have wheels or blades, I might even make it to the bottom of the hill without killing myself. Either way, it looks like it'd be fun.
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If you've got a teen who's about to get his/her first driver's license, you might want to switch to American Family Insurance, which has a great plan to offer you:

Nora and John Suter said they trusted their son, but they didn't want to take their eyes off him completely as he sped off with his friends into a particularly risky phase of teen independence: the first year of driving.

Thanks to American Family Insurance's Teen Safe Driver program, they found a solution: The Suters installed a video camera just above the rearview mirror of the Mustang. It keeps a running tab of Tyler's every erratic driving move.

I wouldn't have thanked my parents for this, but I didn't have cell phones, iPods or any electronic distraction except the radio when I first started to drive.

Thanks to American Family Insurance's Teen Safe Driver program, they found a solution: The Suters installed a video camera just above the rearview mirror of the Mustang. It keeps a running tab of Tyler's every erratic driving move.

Alas, there have been many. Like the time Tyler floored the gas to pass a friend's pickup in a subdivision.

"I looked up and saw the (recording) light, and I knew I was busted," he said.

Then there was the time Tyler nearly rear-ended a car at a stop sign, or when he gassed the car into a right-hand turn to catch up with a friend. Thanks to two lenses, the camera simultaneously captured what was going on inside and in front of the car.

Nora Suter watched the videos on a laptop in the family's kitchen. "Tyler, do you see how dangerous this could be? A child could run out on the street, and you'd have no time to stop."

Sounds like it would ensure your teen knew when he/she was being watched and give you both plenty to discuss, as well.
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This is a great list of what to do if you've had a pet escape or wander off. Print yourself a copy and tuck it in a drawer.

Here are some tips for finding a lost cat or dog from experts at the Anti-Cruelty of Chicago, PAWS Chicago, Feline Friends Chicago and the Citizens for Animal Protection:

† Act immediately. The longer you wait, the farther your pet can travel. Plus, the chances of your pet getting injured increases.

† Leave items with a familiar scent outside your home. A litter box, pet bed or a shirt or shoes recently worn by the pet owner can attract a pet who has strayed.

† Search the neighborhood. Walk, ride a bicycle or drive slowly through your neighborhood several times each day. Whistle a few times, then call your pet’s name twice. Listen carefully and look around.

† Your pet may be injured, frightened or trapped and unable to come to you. Hearing your voice may encourage your pet to answer you. After you call the pet’s name two or three times, remain in one place long enough to see if you can hear your pet.

† A lost pet may hide during the day, so go out again at night through your neighborhood with a flashlight and call for your cat or dog.

† Ask neighbors, letter carriers and delivery people, anyone you see, if they have seen your pet.

† Post flyers at intersections within a two-mile radius of the area of where your pet was lost. Also, give flyers to local grocery stores, community centers, pet stores, veterinary offices, churches and laundromats.

† The flyers should have a photograph of the pet and how to reach you as well as provide information such as fur color, breed and eye color.

† Advertise in local and community newspapers.

† Visit all local animal shelters and animal-control agencies as well as call or e-mail them. Your pet could show up at any time.

† File a lost pet report with every shelter in the city and suburbs. Check with the shelters every few days.

† If your pet was lost anywhere near a highway, contact the area’s department of transportation.

† Call veterinary hospitals.

† Do not send reward money or offer information to anyone claiming they have your pet.

† File a lost pet report with the Chicago Police Department.

I hope you never need it, but it's a great resource if or when you do.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



I have no idea why this has been stuck in my head, but it's been there since last night.
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Giggle of the Day:

Drive-Bys

Oooo! Add this to my birthday/Christmas/no-reason-whatsoever gift list, please! Moose and squirrel -- they're particular faves of mine.
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Giggle of the Day:

Dr Teddy Wu, who is currently working in the neurology department at Christchurch Hospital, said he believed it was the first time someone had been hospitalised by a "hickey".

I nearly wet myself laughing.

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Explosive Road? Sheesh! Naming it that was bad karma waiting to happen...
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Excuse my French, but where the f*ck were the parents here?

The boy and his sister, believed to be about 4 years old, were playing in the elevator when the incident occurred, according to residents at the Plaza Hotel, 26 W. Clinton St. in downtown Joliet.

The accident happened around 3:30 p.m Sunday. The toddler left his family's room on the second floor of the Hotel Plaza and got into an elevator, according to Joliet Police Lt. Jeff Allbert. The boy apparently started playing with the elevator's buttons, he said.

The elevator rose, then stopped, leaving a 10-inch gap between the elevator and shaft. The toddler slipped through the gap and fell about 30 feet to the basement, Allbert said.

This is inexcusable parenting.
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How do I feel after having a day to cogitate on the Bears' loss to the Packers?

Two words: Good. Lord.

Yep.

(Read the whole thing. Morrissey nails it.)
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Seems like the folks down in Springfield have finally gotten the message:

The new push is a crackdown on the rising cost of health care for retired state workers. The program costs the state nearly $500 million a year, and more than 90 percent of the retirees and survivors pay no premiums....
The idea is to start charging the retirees who can afford to pay for their health care. And new state research shows some of the 84,100 retirees and survivors appear to possess the ability to pay — the average annual household income for a retired state worker younger than 65 was nearly $78,000.

The sizable rocking-chair income is the result of waves of state workers taking advantage of sweet early retirement plans that allowed them to walk out of government jobs in their 50s, start collecting pension benefits and still have time to start a second career.

The retirees are responsible for co-payments, even if nine out of 10 of them don't pay premiums. The state's costs rose more than 10 percent to hit $488.2 million in the last budget year, and that doesn't even include dental and vision expenses. Some of the increase is attributed to workers who have left Illinois for warmer climates. The cost for their care can be higher because they can't always get the group rate discounts of a managed-care plan when they move to another state.

Yes! It's about time those who can afford to pay for this are held to account. I don't begrudge those who can't afford to pay, but I do begrudge those who can and don't. Especially those who retire on more than I make in any given year.
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Drive-Bys

My new hero:

A North Carolina restaurant has put a ban on unruly children, with a sign on the front door saying screaming children will not be tolerated.

Brenda Armes, the owner of the Olde Salty's restaurant in Carolina Beach, said she got sick of customers complaining about parents who couldn't control their children during meals.

She said many parents allowed their children to treat the restaurant like their personal playground, misbehaving and 'squawking'.

And of course you know someone just had to bitch about it:

But Ashley Helfin, a mother of two, said: 'I've never seen a restaurant say, don't bring your screaming kids in here. You can't help it if your kids scream.'Ummm, Ashley?

The Princess Mom made sure each and every one of her children knew how to mind their manners in public. Just because you don't know how to parent doesn't mean the rest of the world has to suffer.

If you're ever in Carolina Beach, NC, go visit Olde Salty's!
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I saw this article and just had to buy the book. How could you not find NASA's "coefficient of flatulence" fascinating?

And I do hope Mike Ditka's The '85 Bears: We Were The Greatest also comes out on Kindle. From these excerpts, it looks to be a hilarious read.

(I do have eclectic reading tastes, don't I?)
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I see President Tin-Ear strikes again on the issue of illegal aliens. Too bad if the (legally) voting public wants the immigration laws already on the books to be duly enforced...
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Speaking of President Tin-Ear, nice to see he's knee-capping Emanuel's chances as a mayoral candidate here in Chicago:

“My expectation is, he’d make a decision after these mid-term elections.”

And...

"I think right now, as long as he is in the White House, he's critically focused on making sure that we're creating jobs for families around the country and rebuilding our economy.

"But I think he would be a terrific mayor," said Obama.

Right. As long as he's doing what you want him to do, its fine to think in the abstract about what a fine mayor he'd be.

In the meantime, da locals have da edge.

If Emanuel remains at the White House until Nov. 2, he would be forced to play catch-up unless he has an army in Chicago “laying the groundwork” for him, said Ald. Pat O’Connor (40th), Mayor Daley’s City Council floor leader.

Candidates for mayor must file at least 12,500 valid signatures between Nov. 15 and 22 — and three times that many if they want to be certain they stay on the ballot.

“It could work. Clearly, he’d have enough money and it could allow him to size up the field. But, it could also allow people to make commitments [to other candidates] they can’t come off, which would limit his ability to make alliances,” O’Connor said.

Nice of President Tone-Deaf, who knows Chicago and Illinois politics, to cut the guy who's had his back all these many months a break. Now that's politics Chicago-style.
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Drive-Bys

Ear Worm of the Day:



(Via europopped.) It's wedged firmly between my ears and won't go away!
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"The donkey screamed and children cried" is not a line from American Pie. Although it could have been...

Poor thing.
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Ghetto parenting at it's very best:

Two men who both have children with a young woman who was also on the scene began arguing, according to police Lt. Ted Roberts, who was assigned to the Gresham District the night of the incident.

The altercation was between the victim’s mother’s current and former boyfriends, according to the police release.

The argument started because both men were trying to visit with their children at separate times and during one of the visits, one man disciplined the child of the other man, sending that man into a rage, according to Roberts.

The angry man pulled out a gun and fired at the other man and didn’t hit him but accidentally struck the child in the cheek instead. The bullet also pierced her shoulder, the lieutenant said.

Even more confusing,

The wounded baby is the child of either a sister or an aunt of the mother who has children with the fighting fathers, according to the lieutenant.

Got all that straight? (I sure don't.) According to the beginning of the article, the wounded baby's mother is the woman with the battling exes. By the end of the story, it's unclear whose baby was shot.

But that a baby was shot at all, let alone for these reasons, is horrifying.
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Remember when I said that the Blagoviator likes to pick his own audience? He may not have testified in court, but he certainly couldn't wait to try his cause in the court of public opinion again!

I've got to admit that while most of his blathering was more of the same old same old, this little gem is priceless:

At his media conference, Blagojevich also admitted he had learned from the case.

“I’ve learned a lot of lessons from this whole experience and probably the biggest . . . is that I talk too much. Thank you.’’

I don't believe that lesson will stick.

And I do believe John Kass is correct:

Our former governor had a lot to say awhile ago, but now, apparently, he doesn't have the — what did he used to call it? — the testicular virility to take the stand in his own defense, as he promised about a gazillion times.

Weenie.

PSA

Straight from today's "Dear Abby":

DEAR ABBY: I am writing this as a mother of four and an operating room nurse for 30 years. Once again, I had to pull a crying mother from her child so I could take the child into the operating room.

I understand that a child having surgery is upsetting and stressful. My own children have had to have surgical procedures done, so I know the feeling. But if I can help parents understand one thing, it would be that the child looks to the parent for support. If the mother is crying and clinging at the bedside, the message the child receives is: Something bad must be about to happen.

No one is implying that you do not love your child or you are not worried about him or her, but it does no one any good if you have to be peeled off your child. Please send your little one off with kisses and encouraging words, and the child will be a little less frightened.

WISCONSIN R.N.

DEAR WISCONSIN R.N.: I'm printing your letter verbatim. As traumatic as sending a child into surgery can be for both parent and child, the words a child needs to hear are, "You'll be going to sleep, and when you wake up, Mommy will be right here. I love you. Now give me a kiss." For the child's sake, venting for stress relief should be saved for the waiting room.